Food colorants are well-known and regulated by government agencies. In the United States, food colorants are tested by the Food and Drug Administration and synthetic food colorants are typically marked as “FD&C Color No. X” or “D&C Color No. X” to indicate that the colorant is approved for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
Recently manufacturers have begun to market novelty food products that contain unusual or unnatural color combinations. For example, H.J. Heinz Company launched green ketchup in 2000, resulting in a measurable increase in U.S. ketchup sales. Additionally, snack makers now use special formulations of food colorants to mark the tongue or teeth, marketing the products to child consumers for the “gross-out” factor. See, e.g., General Mills Corp.'s “Fruit Roll-Up Tongue Trackers.”